Length of an essay
seems to be the concern of many young writers, and to give a definite
answer belies the purpose of writing. The reason we write is to express
views on a given subject. I have no idea how much you know about a topic
or what it is you want to say, so length is an issue not of my
expectations but of your knowledge, passion about the topic, and
interest in being thorough and learning to write well.

I am merely interested
in giving you skills with which to engage a reader by conveying your
thoughts clearly and coherently with lots of support and proof for what
you say. If your writing is too short, probably you have not
sufficiently supported your position. If it is too long, probably you
have chosen a topic that is much too large for one college type essay or
has been filled with repetition, excessive verbiage, or just plain
bloated filler to add to length. No one enjoys or has patience to
tediously crawl through that. As I read your essays, I am looking to see
if you utilize good writing techniques, which I will abundantly help you
learn. I can tell if you are using good writing skills pretty quickly as
I read your essays.

This semester I have
about 45 online students who will routinely be submitting essays.
Whatever you submit, multiply it by 45, and that is what I have to read,
critique, download, upload, and often redistribute to the class for
review within hopefully one day! Consider my time. I have a wonderful
life that also demands my eager attention.

Note: Be aware that for
this online course essays are required to be single spaced, not double
spaced as is usually required, so paper lengths would be halved what you
are accustomed to doing.

As a writer you are
going to have to make many decisions; length should not have to be a
primary issue. You should be concerned with what you say, how you
present it, and if you have adequacy supported for what you say. I leave
these decisions to you the writer. If what you write is not supported or
does not demonstrate good writing techniques, I will let you know. If I
find myself spending an inordinate amount of time reading writing that
has been puffed up to merely fill the pages, as any reader I will be
uninterested and impatient while muddling through it; I will let you
know.

I want you to enjoy
writing not view it as a quantitative task to satisfy a professor's
numerical requirements. Writing can be cathartic, satisfying, and help
you learn a lot about yourself. Embrace this great opportunity you now
have.